Recently, processes have been developed for the synthesis of useful carboxylic acids from glycidonitriles. See, Argentina Pat. Nos. 198,097 and 198,595 for examples.
The preparation of glycidonitriles from aromatic ketones is known. See J. Gen. Chem., U.S.S.R. 27, pp. 1188-1189 (1957) and J. Am. Chem. Soc., 82, 4315 (1960). However, published yields of glycidonitriles have not exceeded about 80 percent, and those processes have involved the use of expensive bases such as potassium tibutoxide.
In J. Org. Chem., Vol. 37, No. 16, (1972), page 2573, James Cason et al. disclose the cyanoethylation of 2-octanone with solid potassium hydroxide in dimethoxyethane, in which system the basicity of the potassium hydroxide is enhanced substantially. However, none of the products there produced were or relate to the formation of glycidonitriles.
Later glycidonitrile making processes have been developed by the inventor herein which processes give almost quantitative yields of the glycidonitrile when sodium ti-amylate is used as the base. However, that organic base is also expensive. Those in the chemical process development art are seeking more economical processes for making glycidonitriles which are of importance now as intermediates to make a variety of known and useful carboxylic acids and derivatives thereof. See Tetrahedron Letters (1972) page 7395.